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A. de Villiers

@tortoise2win.bsky.social
767 followers 132 following 6 posts
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Reposted by A. de Villiers
Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 3h
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 2h
“Epic Systems, the nation’s largest medical records vendor that is relied on by thousands of hospitals and doctors’ offices, is using artificial intelligence tools to patch security risks that could give hackers undetectable access to patient health data, company officials said.”
nytimes.com
Medical Records Firm Uses AI Tool to Expose Flaws that Threaten Patient Privacy
Epic’s engineers deployed an Anthropic tool that exposed security risks that could allow undetected access to millions of patient records.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 2h
Wrote about how Trump’s tantrums over the Supreme Court reveal the not so hidden subtext of what Republicans expect from the justices. Also a mention of how Supreme Court politics resemble the Calciopoli scandal. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
As is nearly always the case with the president’s accusations, this was an illuminating projection. Trump fears that public pressure on the Supreme Court can sway the justices and how they rule. So when they don’t side with him, he assumes that’s what happened, and he trashes the Court in the hope that it will side with him the next time. He views criticism of the Supreme Court much as he views laws in general: When Trump or one of his allies wants to do something, such as use taxpayer dollars for cultish campaign ads, it’s legal. When his opponents want to do something, it’s illegal
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Defector @defector.com · 3h
Accept the expanding ball of infected corpses you cannot change: defector.com/resident-evi...
defector.com
Accept The Expanding Ball Of Infected Corpses You Cannot Change | Defector
“Here are the main things you need to know about the Resident Evil games,” I explained to my friend Liz over the nonsense of the Digger trailer. “There’s a big outbreak of some kind of mutagenic…
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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 5h
They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 3h
The US tried to forcibly assimilate the Lenape in brutal boarding schools, but a new exhibit proves their modern-day culture is vibrant and alive
theguardian.com
Abducted, renamed, but still here – the art of the first Native New Yorkers and their fight for their land
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 13h
Support for Israel has been an cornerstone of US politics for decades - but is that coming to an end? Josh Rushing, Matthew Duss and Kelley Vlahos break down how Israel’s genocide in Gaza is influencing voters ahead of the upcoming midterms in episode 3 of Let’s Focus. ▶️ youtu.be/COPaFln9WHU
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 8h
The DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General “declined further action” on an undisclosed matter involving Attorney General Todd Blanche’s cryptocurrency trades, according to a new federal financial disclosure document reviewed by The Washington Sun.
washingtonsun.com
DOJ Inspector General ‘Declined Further Action’ on Todd Blanche Cryptocurrency Matter
The attorney general has faced questions over scuttling crypto investigations while invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum.
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Jason Hickel @jasonhickel.bsky.social · 7h
Must-watch short on the Bandung movement, when global South countries challenged imperial power in the world-system. More relevant now than ever. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpDU...
youtube.com
What happens when countries stand up to the superpowers? | Bandung 1955
YouTube video by Al Jazeera English
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Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 6h
If you’re interested in gender violence at universities, my favorite book on it is A Survivor’s Education by Joy Neumeyer, which looks at the Title IX process both as a system of political repression and as a way of revoking women’s epistemic authority. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/joy-n...
hachettebookgroup.com
A Survivor’s Education
A Kirkus Best Book of 2024  An "impeccably researched book" (Michelle Bowdler) about intimate abuse, campus politics, and the narratives we choose to belie...
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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 6h
MAGA is ideologically and psycho-politically incapable of moderating. It is a hysterical movement that exists in a constant state of imagined emergency. There is no room for compromise or restraint. Every crisis, every defeat only heightens their sense of being under siege.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tyrants view educated citizens as their greatest enemy. Slaveholders stopped the enslaved from learning to read. Nazis burned books. Dictators censor media. That’s why Trump is attacking education, science, museums, the media, and the arts – to prevent us from learning. It's Fascism 101.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 15h
State Department employees were falsely accused of "censoring" Americans. When do they get justice? thehill.com/opinion/nati...
thehill.com
We need accountability for federal employee purges made on false pretenses
I was grilling chicken on a sweltering summer night in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, when I peeked at my phone and saw that a senior official in the administration had just accused me of lying to C…
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Nandita Sharma @nsharma101.bsky.social · 14h
A million Guantanamo Bays: this is the MAGA agenda.
nytimes.com
Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration’s Third-Country Deportations, for Now (Gift Article)
The court also announced it would hear arguments in December on the legality of the Trump administration policy to swiftly deport immigrants to countries not their own.
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Chrononaut @chrononaut.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Software is eating the world, so now anything that has to do with software development becomes everyone's problem. In a more sane timeline AI would have been huge news in the tech industry and mostly ignored outside of it.
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better than your best 🇨🇼 @diegodoesntsleep.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
and they're really trying to shove a generational recontextualization of daily life down our throats in a fraction of the time it would even take for such a massive change to permeate society. all moot bc it doesn't even do the thing (ever? yet? definitely not right now)
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OPB @opb.org · 21h
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released more than $14 million in funding for major renovations to Astoria’s largest hospital, Oregon lawmakers announced in a press release Monday.
opb.org
FEMA releases $14 million for Astoria hospital to finish tsunami upgrade
Columbia Memorial Hospital is set to receive the funding that had been in limbo since the Trump administration suspended a FEMA grant program last year.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 23h
The GAO says the Trump administration’s $800 million “pocket rescission” violates Congress’ constitutional control over government spending. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/cong…
washingtonsun.com
Congressional Watchdog Says Trump’s ‘Pocket Rescissions’ Violate the Law
The GAO has the power to sue the Trump administration over the Impoundment Control Act.
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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The case at Cornell is the kind of higher ed issue in which the DOJ or DOE *should* open a Title IX investigation. In a normal world that’s whst would happen. Instead, we are in the upside down world where you won’t hear a peep from this administration
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OPB @opb.org · 29/09/2026
California-based energy company Copia, which has an office in Lake Oswego, submitted an application to site the Charlestown Data Center and Battery Energy Storage System in Umatilla County on 106 acres of BLM land.
opb.org
Data centers proposed on federal land in Eastern Oregon, Western states
A data center proposed on 100 acres of BLM land near Hermiston would be the first on federal public land in Oregon and one of a dozen proposed in six Western states.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 29/09/2026
Trump administration ‘must be changed’: Iran’s IRGC appeals to US voters aje.news/yp4er7
Trump administration ‘must be changed’: Iran’s IRGC appeals to US voters
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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
FBI Director Kash Patel this week has faced the worst data breach in FBI history, a deputy who quit because Patel was doing too many unconstitutional things, and partied with a suspected double agent. And it's only Tuesday. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/the-disgra...
doomsdayscenario.co
The Disgrace and Danger of Kash Patel, Part II
A quick check-in on the FBI director's latest raft of scandals (including, of course, the bestiality).
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 29/09/2026
“Fascist imperial Russia has not seen and does not see Western companies as partners for mutual benefit, only as targets for weaponization, manipulation, and confiscation," write Bennett Freeman and Nataliia Popovych in this op-ed.
kyivindependent.com
After Nestle and Auchan seizures, Russia is coming for others
The recent Russian seizure of assets belonging to corporate giants Nestle and Auchan made headlines, all the more striking given the companies' years of loyalty to the Kremlin regime, including throug...
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Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. @repdexteror.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Fixing our warming planet will take all of us, and harnessing our compassion to move us to act is needed now. Beyond bold policy, we must all look inward at how we can support our communities and make sure we all have equal access to nutritious food.
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Nils Gilman @nilsgilman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Four ways to subvert an election: 1. Disqualify citizens before they vote 2. Stop qualified voters from casting the ballot 3. Stop cast votes from being counted 4. Overturn the results after you’ve lost, 4ex by refusing to seat winners (Expect them to try all) www.liberalcurrents.com/editors-note...
liberalcurrents.com
Editor's Notes: Gaming Out Antidemocratic Tactics
How worried should we be about election interference in 2026, exactly?
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OPB @opb.org · 29/09/2026
In the 1860s, war split the Modoc of the Klamath Basin — some exiled to Oklahoma, others absorbed into the Klamath Tribes. Now, the descendants of the exiled band are returning to reclaim that lost homeland.
opb.org
Exiled from the Klamath Basin, Modoc descendants are finding their way home
As members of the Modoc Nation have returned to the region and expanded their footprint there, response from the community has been mixed.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The GAO says it cannot find assurances that DOGE properly handled Americans’ data. www.washingtonsun.com/agencies/doge…
washingtonsun.com
Congress’ Watchdog Arm Is Not Assured That DOGE Protected Americans’ Data
Several federal agencies did not answer the congressional auditor’s questions about data security.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
New in PN: Will Dems offer a New New Deal? "Today's situation — in which the economy continues to grow but working Americans have an ever-shrinking share — has been a long time coming. But Trump’s nihilistic policies have put the lie to the Reaganite promise of prosperity through assaulting govt."
publicnotice.co
Will Democrats offer Americans a New New Deal?
A new social pact will be needed in the wake of Trump’s trail of ruin.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 29/09/2026
Many people are asking.
prospect.org
Why Is Sam Altman a Free Man? - The American Prospect
OpenAI’s models aren’t “going rogue” from their creators as much as they are mimicking them.
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Mr. Joshua @pantspants.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Bongo” Ballpoint pen, pencil, watercolor, acrylic paint, and a little colored pencil.

Our man is in trouble this time, reader. Art supplies are scattered around a painting of an abstract cityscape. On the canvas we see a man in a telephone booth making a frantic call to his cat, Bongo. In the foreground, an answering machine is taking his voicemail, [Leave a message at the beep] --- “Bongo, Daddy got stuck in the painting. Go get help, Bongo.” Bongo stands at the base of the easel looking at the phone. Her tail in the air and ears perked up. Whether she’ll be able to help is open to interpretation.

Artist’s note: One of my favorites from the Spooky Pants book. I was playing around with the idea of a painting coming to life (like that guy in Ghostbusters 2) and kind of fumbled my way into this version. I really draw a lot of corded phones. I won’t stop.
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Ed Burmila @edburmila.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
FREE / public Patreon On Updike, narcissism at the end of the world, and Renee Good's mom explaining how she voted for Trump to kill other people's children instead of her own.
patreon.com
THE SOLIPSISTS | Gin and Tacos
In one of the best book reviews of my lifetime, David Foster Wallace skewered what he called the Great Male Narcissist novelists of the post
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation ... rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, he engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power"
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Here's a terrific NYT profile of the vital work @galvinalmanza.bsky.social is doing. (Note: This is also the subject of my forthcoming book!) www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/h...
nytimes.com
Can a ‘Teach for America’ Model Save Public Defense?
Public defenders are overworked and underpaid. A growing corps of client advocates is helping defendants in communities across the U.S.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort."
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How clear is it that Trump's taxpayer funded ads are illegal? I explain why it is 10/10 clear. Senate in passing the law: Ban is designed to stop public funds used for "glorification" of an individual official. GAO: funds can not be used for "self-aggrandizement" nor partisan political purposes.
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samuelwa.de @samuelwa.de · 28/09/2026
My “Involved in Human Trafficking“ shirt has a lot of people asking questions that are making me want to stop wearing my shirt rather than reconsider my involvement in human trafficking
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Django Wexler @djangowexler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Volition is irrelevant. If the headline was "vicious dog breaks out of OpenAI office and bites man" there would be no question who was responsible. "But the dog is its own entity making its own choices!" Fuck off, either it's property you own or not, you can't have it both ways.
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Jason Wilson @jasonaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Something that many people who work in the press do not like to acknowledge is that the press is a participant in a fight—an ideological, political, power struggle against entrenched power itself." www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/the-free-a...
hamiltonnolan.com
The Free and Unfree Press
Journalism, and its adversaries.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 29/09/2026
Google Maps images show scale of Israel's destruction of Gaza, where more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed.
aljazeera.com
Satellite images show Gaza in ruins three years into Israel's genocidal war
Google Maps images show scale of Israel's destruction of Gaza, where more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed.
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Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
👀
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russell Brand, who's awaiting trial in London next month on rape and sexual assault charges, will moderate a panel at DC's MAHA summit tomorrow on reforming a U.S. health agency
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Douglas Reyes-CeroÑ @dreyesceron.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Star Spangled Banner being played by the Mariachi Herencia de Mexico band before the Bears-Eagles game in Chicago on Monday Night Football was a deeply cool thing to see tonight
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Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We're witnessing the Rapist-to-President and/or Rapist-to-Supreme Court Justice pipeline with this Cornell scandal.
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Texas Tribune @texastribune.org · 28/09/2026
Breaking: The Texas Tribune has identified the ICE agent who witnesses say fired through an open van window and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston nearly three months ago.
texastribune.org
ICE agent who shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston identified
The federal government has withheld his identification, even as major state and local law enforcement agencies across the country typically identify officers involved in shootings on the job soon afte...
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A group of immigrant parents filed a class-action lawsuit against President Trump, arguing that his latest attempt to uproot birthright citizenship violates the 14th Amendment and more than a century of Supreme Court precedent.
washingtonsun.com
Second Lawsuit Filed Against Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Rules
The class-action suit challenges Trump’s newest executive order seeking to strip citizenship from children of certain classes of parents.
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Mohamad Bazzi @mbazzi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Show This to Anyone Denying Genocide” — front page of @scotnational.bsky.social
“Show This to Anyone Denying Genocide” — front page headline of The National, Scotland
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Four people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection filed separate lawsuits Friday against the federal government in Washington, accusing officials of misconduct in prosecuting them and demanding compensation in return.
washingtonsun.com
Four Jan. 6 Defendants Sue for a Payout From the Trump Administration
The same law firm filed all four suits, though the claims vary.
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Oregon Capital Chronicle @oregoncapitalchronicle.com · 29/09/2026
A new data center campus could soon be coming to federal land near Hermiston in eastern Oregon. buff.ly/ovREnCQ
buff.ly
Data centers proposed on federal land in eastern Oregon, western states • Oregon Capital Chronicle
A data center proposed on BLM land near Hermiston would be the first on federal public land in Oregon, one of dozen proposed in six western states.
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Oregon Capital Chronicle @oregoncapitalchronicle.com · 28/09/2026
The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress.  buff.ly/3yH67y3
buff.ly
Trump administration revokes $810M approved by Congress for refugee aid and more • Oregon Capital Chronicle
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress.  The $810…
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